Police grant will enhance traffic enforcement efforts

By Doug Spoon, Editor

The Menifee Police Department has been awarded a $115,000 grant for support of traffic enforcement in the city.

The grant was announced and approved Sept. 2 at the Menifee City Council Meeting. The Office of Traffic Safety awarded the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grant.

According to the staff report, “Funds will be used for costs incurred by the Police Department during activities such as driving under the influence (DUI) checkpoints and saturation patrols; equipment; and distracted driving, traffic, motorcycle safety, and pedestrian and bicycle safety enforcement.”

Menifee PD Captain David Gutierrez reported that the grant will help the department’s efforts to reduce the number of DUI incidents and collisions.

“We will reapply for this every year,” Gutierrez said. “This will help us address DUI, speed, and distracted driving incidents.”

Using funds from the grant, Menifee PD will send four officers to Standardized Field Sobriety Testing training, two officers to Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement training, one officer to Drug Recognition Expert training, and one officer to DRE instructor training. Funds will also be used to help cover operational costs and supplies to conduct checkpoints, patrols and enforcement activities.

The amount of the grant was determined by local crime statistics from the years 2017-19, when the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department was in charge of law enforcement in Menifee. The grant period will run from Oct. 1 to Sept 30, 2021.

The staff report to City Council included the following statistics from 2019:

“In 2019, the City of Menifee recorded 432 traffic collisions, slightly down from 481 in 2018 and significantly down from 2017, when the city experienced 644 collisions. Of the 432 collisions reported in 2019, there were 362 people injured and eight fatalities.The eight fatalities represents a 100 percent increase over 2018, when the city experienced four fatalities, and a 300 percent increase over 2017, when the city experienced two fatalities.

“In 2019, the City of Menifee experienced 44 DUI related collisions, down approximately 20 percent over 2018, when the city experienced 55 DUI related collisions. Of the eight fatalities in 2019, five were alcohol involved.”

Mayor Bill Zimmerman voiced support for the help the grant will provide in addressing traffic issues.

“This is something we can utilize well,” Zimmerman said. “There are some scofflaws out on our streets. I’m glad the extra enforcement will help keep people honest.”